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Coming Together, Growing Stronger

A Report from Our Mid-Year Staff Workshop

 A Note of Gratitude

To our donors, none of this happens without you. Your generosity doesn't only fund the work we do in the field; it funds the people who do that work. It supports the rare and precious moments when our team, scattered across remote communities and isolated postings, can step away from their extremely busy projects and connect with each other again.

From the 1^st – 3^rd of June we gathered at Bonamanzi Game Reserve for our Mid-Year Staff Workshop. We want to share a little of what that means to us, and why we believe it matters so deeply to the health and heart of our organisation.

The Life Between the Meetings

Ours is not an office job. As you know, our staff live and work in conditions that are, by definition, remote. Some days go without reliable connectivity. Many are the only representative of the organisation in their immediate environment. The distances between colleagues aren't measured in minutes on a commute, but in hours of driving, in mountains and rivers and unpaved roads.

Twice a year, we close that distance. We come together not just to strategise and plan, though we do plenty of that, but to simply be in the same room. To share a meal. To hear a colleague's laugh. To remember that the work we each do in our own corner is part of something larger, something that only exists because all of us show up, day after day, in places that are not always easy to be.

"I always leave feeling inspired and fulfilled. We have so much to learn from each other." Pippa Orpen

Months in the Making

A workshop like this doesn't simply appear. Months of careful planning go into shaping an agenda that is both productive and meaningful. Every slot is considered, from the earliest morning session to the final team debrief. Back-to-back meetings during the day allow us to move through everything from operational planning and programme reviews to honest conversations about what is working, and what needs rethinking. There is exciting refresher training, skills development and practical exercises.

We make space for new ideas to surface. We make space for disagreement. We make space for the kind of deep, unhurried dialogue that the pace of everyday work rarely allows. When you are working in isolation, there is an enormous amount that simply goes unspoken — insights, frustrations, small victories, better ways of doing things. The workshop is where all of that finally gets said and unpacked.

Getting to Know One Another

This gathering was particularly meaningful because it gave us the opportunity to properly welcome new members of the team. In a distributed organisation, a new colleague can work alongside you for months before you ever meet in person. There is something irreplaceable about being in the same physical space, sharing the particulars of your background, your approach, your sense of humour,  something you cannot discover in a Weekly Zoom meeting. We welcomed Jodi and Jason from our WildInno team; they gave an incredibly insightful presentation on how our collars and LoRa systems work, the strategy behind the thinking and some exciting upcoming developments. We welcomed Hein, a trainee currently based at iMfolozi. We welcomed Tavish, our new Vulture Conservation Officer.

Tavish brings eight years of hands-on raptor experience to the role, with a background spanning rehabilitation, husbandry, and behaviour monitoring. Based in and working across Zululand, his role with Wildlife ACT covers monitoring of tagged Vultures, emergency response coordination, nest monitoring, safe feeding site management, Vulture capture and release support, and more.

"What makes this position particularly rewarding is knowing that every task, whether monitoring a tracking alert, responding to a poisoning incident, or assisting with a vulture release, contributes towards the long-term conservation of some of Africa's most threatened and ecologically important birds. Through Wildlife ACT's integrated conservation approach, I have the opportunity to play a direct role in protecting vultures and ensuring that future generations continue to see these remarkable birds soaring across the skies of Zululand," says Tavish.

At our Staff Workshops, introductions became conversations, and conversations became the beginnings of real professional relationships. Those connections matter far beyond the week itself. They are the foundation of trust that makes collaboration possible throughout the rest of the year, when we are once again separated by distance.

We welcomed Samantha, our new Technology Technician on Hluhluwe – iMfolozi Park. We will introduce her formally on social media soon.

Evenings at the Reserve

Evenings together gave the team the chance to decompress from the intensity of the day's sessions and connect in a different register entirely. Whether gathered around a fire, watching the sun sink behind the treeline, or simply sitting with a cup of tea and a colleague you don't often get to see, these hours were as formative as the formal programme. This year we held a birding competition, we were split into groups and over two days we identified as many bird species as we could. As a start, on the first day we had an hour to stretch our legs and go and bird. After that, birds were logged during tea breaks and sitting around the fire at night. It was extremely fun. There was a dedicated session on indigenous Zulu tree knowledge in relation to traditional medicinal uses and their link to conservation, presented by Hloni and our Community and Coexistence Programme (CCCP) team.

Team building in the evenings isn't a luxury — it is, we believe, a necessity. A team that knows and trusts one another does better work. A team that has laughed together navigates hard moments with more grace. We work hard, and we have fun, and both of those things make us better at what we do.

"We work hard and we have fun — and both of those things make us better at what we do."

What We Bring Back

Every person who attends one of these workshops returns to their posting carrying something they didn't have before. New tools. A revised approach to a persistent challenge. A phone number saved with a note that says: call this person when you're stuck with this. A renewed sense of purpose.

It is difficult to put a precise value on inspiration. But we know it when we see it — in the quality of work that follows, in the energy that carries through to the communities we serve, in the retention of staff who might otherwise find the isolation of this work too much to sustain. The workshop is an investment that pays returns throughout the entire year.

Thank You

We are aware that every rand and dollar you give represents a decision — a choice to invest in our work over countless other worthy causes. We do not take that lightly.

Your funding supports our Emergency Response work, and your support strengthens our team. The conversations that happen at our Workshops, the plans that were made, the relationships that were strengthened — all of it traces back to your continued belief in what we are building together.

With deep gratitude and warmth,

Here's to a successful second half of 2026!

Pippa & the Team